I wonder what's up with St. Mary's. Earlier, their all-star QB Erik Glavic (coming back after missing 2008 with an injury) earlier announced that he was transferring to Calgary. The Bisons have had proven success with taking players from the junior football ranks. They have some experience at a level higher than high school and can step in and help.

And, most importantly, the league schedule has been released. [LINK] Here are the Bison games:

[Karhut rejoins Herd after stint in CFL] - The Winnipeg Sun has another story-of-the-day. This one is about OL Ryan Karhut rejoining the team after being released from the Montreal Alouettes. The gist of the story:

Kirk Penton at The Sun wrote:... The Saskatchewan Roughriders drafted Karhut in 2007 then traded him to the Montreal Alouettes a few weeks later. He attended Montreal's training camp in 2007 but was released, so he went back to the U of M and won the Vanier.

Karhut returned to Alouettes camp last spring and spent the entire 2008 CFL season on their practice roster, which burned one of his two remaining years of CIS eligibility.

However, since he didn't suit up for a regular-season game last year and was released by the Alouettes prior to this season's camp, the 27-year-old Spruce Grove, Alta., native was able to return to the Bisons.

"When I got the phone call, I'm sure my heart rate elevated quite quickly," head coach Brian Dobie said. "He brings us talent, he brings us great experience that he's now added on to, and he brings us a sense of confidence, maturity and leadership." ...

[SUNshine Girl] - And, as usual, every Sun story comes with a SUNshine girl!

To follow up on all aspects of CW and CIS football in general you can click the logos for the other websites:

The Bisons opened 2008 with a win over the Lambs. However, the Bumpkins gained revenge in the season's final weekend by eliminating the Bisons in a head-to-head encounter for the 4th and final playoff berth. So on this weekend, when Labour Day rivalries are in full tilt, a good rivalry in its own right unfolds yet again.

Most prognosticators seem to be saying that Regina is due for a fall this year. The Bisons are seen as a near-contender. The Bisons will need to win games like this one on the road if they want to achieve true contender status.

You can follow along by clicking the UMFM link above or tuning in to 101.5 FM.

I was at the Goldeyes' game so all I heard was the ending on radio. In any event, an away loss to Regina has to be seen as "opportunity lost". The Bisons are away again next weekend (at Simon Fraser) and likely would look at a split as a positive thing. However, an 0-2 start makes for loads of "must win games". Itseems to have been largely a kicking game, with the Lambs achieving two TDs and the Bisons only one.

This one was a 20-20 draw, won by Sask in an OT shoot-out. It was also Shaw TV's game of the week. I saw it on the PVR on Saturday.

Oddly, Calgary went for a two-point convert, missed, and lost the game. Had they settled for one point there would have been another round in the shoot-out. It was also remarkable that in two OT rounds each team went 2-for-2 in scoring touchdowns after having mustered only 20 points in 60 minutes. And Sask's big TD was returning a missed Dino FG!!!

The Evil Monkeys choked in their home opener. They had a 24-6 half-time lead. After having lost to Simon Fraser, UBC had to win this one. Notwithstanding the loss, I do not expect the Evil Monkeys to be a jabroni team this year. Nor do I expect UBC to fall into that role. They showed some jam in mounting this comeback.

SFU started the season with a 26-7 win over UBC which makes this a difficult road trip for the Herd. However, a loss could put the team in a position of having to play catch-up all year long. (However, with 4 of the last 6 games at home it would be far from over.)

The Bisons have hammered SFU in the past, since The Clan have been jabronis in most seasons. Overall, the Bisons are 7-2 against these guys. However, one loss was last year (albeit in overtime in an ugly game) when SFU vastly improved and made the conference final. I will be interested to see how the offence performs, and in particular the QBs.

In any event, there should occur some winnowing of the Canada West Conference this week and we should know where everybody fits in.

As always, you can follow along by clicking the UMFM link above or tuning in to 101.5 FM. I don't know how SFU's video link works but I may just give it a shot. There is no Shaw-TV game this weekend.

This was an ugly loss. The offense is clearly not working. The positive side is that the Bisons have now played two away games. The CW only allows 40 players to dress for away games. With 4 of their last 6 at home the Herd have a good shot at redemption. Their next two games, against UBC and the Evil Monkeys, are at home. SFU is now 2-0 and the Herd is 0-2.

The Lambs almost pulled an upset in this Battle of Banjoland. How two teams can manage only 19 points is beyond me. Their defences cannot be that awesome. The Huskies are now 2-0 whilst the Lambs are 1-1.

The Bisons are in a virtual must-win situation at their annual homecoming game. If they can win they will end the weekend in the midst of the playoff race. If they lose they will be outsiders looking for miracles throughout the season.

The tight results thus far indicate that the CW is a well-balanced conference this year. That is, in games not involving the Bisons. Their offence has been non-existent. Sound familiar, Bomber fans?

Last year UBC was also the homecoming game opponent, and won 28-0. After that UBC went into the tank and never played that well again.